


Someone Like Me

by ragequeenoleana



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: AU, Angst, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Hurt No Comfort, Like it's not illegal but he's a creep, Oleana is Bede's mom au, Oleana mom au, Rose is a creep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23189101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragequeenoleana/pseuds/ragequeenoleana
Summary: Oleana never thought she would be the mothering type, and she never really got the chance since she gave her child away at birth. But seeing the young blonde become a determined spitfire just like his mom, she couldn't stay completely separated from his life.
Relationships: Olive | Oleana/Rose | Chairman Rose
Comments: 11
Kudos: 23





	1. The Test

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of non canon stuff because I don't know ages, but lets just roll with it, yeah?

Oleana was trying to do what good girls do, well, what girls who get ahead in life do. Keep her head down, keep her emotions away from work. She was eighteen and already the executive assistant to the chairman, the most powerful man in all of Galar. She didn't get there by crying at work, by doing anything other than focusing on her job and doing it well. No, doing it perfectly.

If it was some idle distraction plaguing her mind then maybe she could have moved past it. But the thing burned into her mind was nothing small, nothing that could just be pushed aside. A positive pregnancy test, two little lines. Two little lines that would destroy everything she had worked so hard for.

The door to Chairman Rose's office opened and she snapped out of her thoughts, going back to typing away and stealing a glance at the inside. Everything inside looked so... alluring. The red carpet, dark walls, curtains that let just enough light in while blocking out the rest so there was a more relaxed vibe. One, large oak desk, dark, perfect, and pristine. And the man behind it, Rose. He had the softest eyes, the most gentle smile. He didn't speak down to Oleana like every other person she had worked for in the past, he told her on her first day that he saw great potential in her.

He looked up and their eyes met, making Oleana's heart jump into her throat. She wasn't ready, she wasn't ready for any of it but especially not ready to tell him. One hand instinctively went to her still flat belly. Oleana was so skinny it wouldn't take long to start showing, and then she would be forced to tell whether she was ready or not.

"Oleana, can you come in here a moment?" He asked. Despite her hesitation, she stood up right away and grabbed her notebook, walking right to him. 

"Yes, Chairman Rose?" She asked, her eyes taking a moment to linger on the left hand side of the desk. That was where this whole thing had started, the day after her eighteenth birthday. When Rose had called her into his office, when he had told her she was beautiful. She ate it up and even then she didn't know why. She had never craved such attentions before, but there was something about the way he strung his words he seemed like a master weaver, every sentence a tapestry.

"You don't look well," he said softly. "Your face looks quite pale. Are you feeling alright?"

A smile pulled at the corner of her lips. "I am fine, Chairman." He always was so courteous. "You do not need to worry about me."

"It takes no time for me to worry about you, my dear." He smiled and then walked over, pulling out the chair for her. The last man she had gone on a date with hadn't done any such thing, older men were just more gentlemanly, she had decided. She took a seat, wondering how rosy her cheeks must have gotten. "Is there something going on with you?"

She looked down at her notebook, very lightly dragging one of her long red nails against the leather of the book. That had been a gift from the Chairman too. It was just for work, she told herself.

"There is something that I have been meaning to tell you." Her brows knit together as she took in a deep breath. "And by telling you I want you to be aware that I am not asking you for anything."

"Oleana, look at me," Rose said, and she did look up. "Anything that you need to tell me, you can."

She took in another deep breath and straightened her back. If she was going to tell him, then she would tell him while their eyes met. She trusted Rose, and he deserved to know as much as she did. "I'm pregnant."

He didn't waver, he never did. She had watched him in negotiations with businessmen, with gym leaders, everyone. He never faltered in his same smile, his same expression. It was honestly a little bit unsettling, or would be if she wasn't so used to it by now. 

He did look down though, and for a moment she could swear his gaze went back to the side of the desk that she had looked at before. They both knew why, that damn desk was where this whole thing had started. 

But then he looked back up at her and his smile was still so soft, reassuring. "That is nothing to worry about, Oleana," he told her gently. "I'm... assuming that this was from your birthday?"

She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. If it was any other man then she would probably be far angrier, her mother always said she had a hot streak that needed to be tamed. But around Rose? No. She couldn't lose her cool. Not now. "I'm not asking you to do anything for me, or for... it."

"Nonsense." He shook his head and then stood up, walking over to the other side of the desk and sitting in the other leather chair. "I wouldn't leave you with such a burden on your own. Especially when I have the resources to take care of it."

Oleana swallowed and then gave him a half-hearted smile. The coil in her stomach wasn't coming undone like she thought it would, it was becoming more tense with every word he spoke to be honest.

"I fund an orphanage in Monostoke," he said. "It is very top of the line. I check in there regularly and I know that it is a fine place for children to grow." He said it so casually, with such confidence that it was Oleana's plan to give the baby up from the beginning. "And I'm sure any child that looks even a fraction like you would be adopted right away."

"An orphanage?" She frowned as he took her hands. "I... forgive me, Chairman, but I don't understand--"

"You are so young," he said calmly. "And such an intelligent, driven young woman. I'm sure you aren't wanting a baby to come and impede the great progress you have been making in Galar."

"Of course not," she mumbled. "But... an orphanage..."

He sighed and squeezed her hands before letting go and sitting back. "I was going to wait to tell you this but... perhaps it would be best done now," he said. "I have seen the work you have been doing, how well you manage everything in the office, but honestly I think you could be doing more. We aren't using you to your fullest potential."

Oleana perked up. "Sir?"

"I have been thinking of promoting you to researcher," he told her with a smile. "I think with someone like you in such a position our company could prosper even more than it already is."

She smiled softly. They were words that she had been waiting for hear not only since she started at the job, but since she was young. Someone finally recognizing what she was worth and seeing her as more than just some frustrated girl wanting a better life for herself. Chairman Rose was the better life. Or he could provide it, at least.

"But that sort of position would take much of your time," Rose said as he sat back, scratching his chin. "If you are insistent on raising the child then... of course I will help you financially. But... I need someone fully dedicated to the job as researcher to promote. And that couldn't be you.

 _Oh._ Oleana looked down and placed one hand on her stomach. She knew growing up that every girl around her dreamed of the same things. They wanted their perfect, princess wedding, and they wanted a big family. That was what every girl in her family had wanted anyway, but not Oleana. Finding a husband was never her priority, much less having a child. Most men bored her and children were... well, it wasn't as if she hated children. She wouldn't say she didn't want one ever, but it wasn't at the top of her list. 

She wanted to prove she was worth something, she wanted to put her mind to work and make something of herself. That was certainly what Rose was offering to her, a position she could build herself up in.

All it would cost was something she had never wanted in the first place. Other people might find it cold, callous, but was it truly such a bad thing? To chase what she wanted... was it so evil?

Oleana looked at him and wordlessly nodded. His smile brightened.

"Excellent! I will make the arrangements and let you know how it goes." He stood and walked back behind his desk. "Thank you for accepting this offer, Oleana. I know that you will not regret it."

She nodded and then picked up her notebook from the desk again. There was still an uneasy feeling in her stomach, but she didn't know why. Even before talking with Rose she was considering her options, considering not keeping the baby. But there was something about what happened that was still strange. Something she couldn't put her finger on just yet.

All Oleana knew was that she trusted Rose. He would of course look out for her, he knew her best interests. Why would she question him? 


	2. Birth

Oleana wasn't really expecting just how hard pregnancy would be.

Not physically. No, she was smart enough to understand that physically it would be hell, and she handled it with grace. All the morning sickness, the dizziness at night, the way it sometimes felt like the baby was intentionally beating the crap out of her ribs. She never worried that the baby was sick, or tired. No, the baby was strong, as strong as her. 

It was everything that came with being pregnant that drove her absolutely up the wall. The way people looked at her, the way they would comment on her baby and then oh so subtly comment on her age as well, asking if her "husband" was happy with the news. Most days she was able to keep her cool, work was opposite of how she usually was. Any comment slid right off her back and nothing affected her mood at all.

Other times she felt like snapping the persons neck. Literally. But since she couldn't do it, literally, she did it figuratively, with her words. Snapping their heads off. Rose was very apologetic each time, and always made sure to sit her down, tell her that it was alright, he understood. 

Most times, anyway. The longer the pregnancy dragged on the weirder he got about it.

"I don't think we should find out the gender of the baby," he told her in his office one day, sitting back in his chair. She was just coming in to tell him she was off to her latest ultrasound.

Oleana frowned. "And why do you think that?" She asked carefully before sitting down in the other chair, putting her hand over the bump on her belly. She looked down, honestly just curious what it was that was growing inside of her. It wasn't as if she was planning any names or buying any baby clothes or toys. But if she got to know anything, she thought she should know the gender.

"The more you think of these sorts of things, learn more about them, the more you get attached," Rose said with a soft smile. "I don't want to make this any harder on you then it already will be."

"Yes. Of course." She nodded and then stood, moving her hair behind her ears and leaving the office.

She found out the baby was a boy that day at the appointment. What Rose didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Of course it was at work when the contractions started. She was in the lab working on the dynamax band, what she saw as the future of Galar to give trainers more control over the power that their pokemon could wield. She was putting on the finishing touches when the pain shot through her body and she put her hands over her stomach. She closed her eyes and took in a breath. "Come on baby... not today..."

Eventually the pain subsided, but then it just kept coming back and she stood on shaky legs, making her way down the hall between the contractions and knocking frantically at the Chairman's door. 

He opened the door and she swallowed. "Rose." Hardly ever did his name alone "He's coming..."

His eyes widened and he nodded, taking her by the arm. "Alright... come on, let's go downstairs and get you to the hospital."

They made their way to the bottom of Rose Tower, him rubbing the back of her hand but not saying anything. Throughout the pregnancy he was always affectionate. He had whispered to her how good she was doing when she was particularly sick, told her how amazing she was for going through such a selfless thing for a baby that she would so kindly give to a family who wanted them.

But he was oddly silent in the elevator, giving the barest of physical affection. 

Once they were in the car he finally broke his silence, just as her last contraction faded and she breathed through the ghost of pain, sweat just beginning to form on her normally perfectly made up face. Her eyes were closed as she tried to distract herself, but then she heard his words.

"How do you know the baby is a boy?"

Oleana looked at him, feeling a familiar feeling starting to stir in her stomach. Maybe it was just more contractions, or maybe it was something else. "Hm?" Was all she managed to get out.

"We agreed you wouldn't ask for the gender," Rose said and she took in a deep breath.

"I found out," she said, squeezing the leather of his town car seats as her legs twitched. It already hurt so bad and it was hardly even beginning, how was she going to tolerate when the baby was actually coming?

"You weren't supposed to ask," he said and she groaned as she began to feel another contraction, closer together than the last ones. "Oleana--"

"You said not to find out, we never agreed!" She snapped. 

So that was the feeling that was building. Rage. Perhaps it was the baby who finally let it fly, because never even in her wildest dreams would she ever yell at Rose. The thought had never crossed her mind, and yet there she was, ready to snap his neck like she had been to so many other businessmen those past nine months.

Figuratively, of course.

They finally got to the hospital and labor was long, grueling. She had never felt such horrible pain as the baby ripped through her body, leaving with a loud cry. Rose was there the entire time, right back to trying to soothe her, holding her hand through the entire thing.

Once she was finished she laid back into the bed, catching her breath as the pain finally subsided. She looked over at the nurse who held her baby, the baby who already looked like her instead of Rose. He had soft wisps of blonde hair already, and even though he was small he was full of energy, if his cries were any indication. Unbridled rage at a world he didn't yet know.

He was her son. Through and through.

She felt so exhausted, even as the nurse walked over. She knew that he wasn't hers, not any longer, but when the nurse came to her bedside to give her the baby, Rose put out his hand to her.

"She doesn't want to hold the baby," he said as Oleana blinked slowly, looking between them. She had been given some pretty heavy painkillers, her mind foggy. "We discussed it beforehand. She said it would be far too painful."

"Rose..." she murmured, and the nurse looked hesitant. 

Rose walked across to the other side of the bed and whispered some words that she couldn't hear. She could swear that she saw him put money in her pocket just as she walked away, putting the baby back in the small medical bassinet and wheeling the baby out of the room, even as he wailed.

Rose turned back to her. The comfort in his eyes was gone and the look on his face from before in the car, when asking about the gender, was back.

But she was too tired to argue. She laid back, listening to the cries of a baby she would never know. 


	3. The Baby

The Motostoke gym leader was probably Oleana's favorite to deal with.

Kabu was calm, level headed, and good at casual conversation without being so annoying about it. Many of the other gym leaders were young, it seemed they were getting younger with each one that signed up. But Kabu had been there for years now, and Oleana had been working with him for the past one. 

She fitted the newest version of the dynamax band around his wrist and watched as the dull glow began to burn brighter from the energy of the trainer. Sure, it needed a power spot as well to work, but the latest version now needed someone with the proper strength to engage it. "This one should allow for more control," she said, remembering a particularly colorful gym match where his Centiskorch went in and out of dynamaxing, confusing not only the gym leader but the challenger. "The new league standard is three moves for the dynamaxed pokemon, then they will automatically go back to regular size."

"Good." He nodded as he looked at the band. "This really is an amazing piece of technology... how old are you again?"

"Twenty-one," she said, a rare smile tugging at her lips. "Created the first version when I was eighteen."

"How long did it take you?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Nine months," she said automatically, thinking of that time. It was easy to remember how long, seeing as it was the entire length of her pregnancy as well. "It's... my greatest accomplishment."

"I can see that. I'm sure you'll have many others by the time you are my age." He gave a smile and she stood.

"Would you like to test the band now?" She asked, figuring it could be a good time to give her newly evolved Garbodour some exercise too. Kabu was always good for a friendly match. But for once, he shook his head.

"I'm sorry but I will have to pass today," he said and stood, stretching. "I have another appointment."

Her brows furrowed together as she thought. "You don't have any trainers coming in today, that's tomorrow." Still, she went to go pick up her tools and got ready to leave, figuring she would just stop in the wild area on her way back to Rose tower.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I'm going down to the Motostoke orphanage. The older kids there will be getting their first pokemon soon, so I agreed to volunteer and teach them about safety."

She stopped dead. The first months after the birth of her child, she found it impossible to try and stay away. She threw herself so heavily into her work just to have a distraction from the temptation. Every time she was at home it ate away at her, she felt like she had some obligation to go down and see him, see her son. Well, he wasn't hers, he stopped being hers the moment she gave him up. Eventually, that urge to go and see him faded over time. 

Until, that is, Kabu just spoke the name.

She reasoned with herself that it was three years ago, that her child was probably adopted as a baby and probably had a wonderful home to live in. He probably had a family that could properly care for him and no doubt loved him.

But that nagging feeling was back, and for once, Oleana decided that she would have to satiate it.

"Would you mind if I joined you?" She asked and Kabu glanced at her. "The orphanage is owned by Chairman Rose, and yet I've never been. I want to see if there are any improvements I could make."

"Of course. I don't think anyone would complain to have someone new visiting the children." He smiled softly. "Come, I'll show you the way."

It was a cold day in Motostoke, the wind ripping through the streets and buildings covering up the precious sun that may have made the day a little bit more bearable. It was one of the busiest cities though, and it seemed that no one was deterred by the weather. The streets were full of people and their idle chatter, many of them pointed out Kabu walking down the street. He was the closest this town had to a celebrity. She just stuck close to the fire gym leader, always hating crowds.

Besides, she was too lost in her own head to really worry herself with them. She wondered what he was like now, if he had grown out of being the fierce baby she remembered giving up. Maybe he was more like Rose than he was like her. She wasn't sure why that thought stung so much, but it did. A part of her wanted to see the baby, wanted to see him there and being just like her, just like he was as a baby. But another part of her knew how disgustingly selfish that was, and Oleana felt sick for even thinking it.

But, even if she gave it up... the baby was a part of her. It was only natural to want to see him. Right?

They got to the building and Oleana was... surprised to see how it was. It wasn't run down or anything, it was actually probably one of the newest buildings in the old city. But it looked so... corporate, like a hospital or some over grown fishbowl. The entire front of it was just windows that looked inside, and when they walked in there was only a front desk. The walls and floors were all white, seeming eerily sanitized for a place where a child would live. There was no art on the walls, no sign that a child had ever been in the building.

"Ah, Mr. Kabu!" The front desk worker smiled at him. "Come on back, the children are waiting."

Kabu nodded and then looked at Oleana. "This is Oleana," he told the front desk worker. "She works for the Chairman and she's going to take a look around, if that's alright."

"Of course." She handed them both visitors badges, and then led them into the other room.

This room was bigger, and a bit more comfortable and lived in, but still had an odd feeling to it. The carpets were a strange mustard color and the walls once again, white. There were no toys out or anything like that, all seemingly packed away in containers leaned up against one of the walls. 

There were a bunch of children all waiting for Kabu, although they were older than Oleana was looking for. All around ten or eleven, they looked so excited when he walked in. Kabu had a kind smile on his face when he went to go talk to them, but Oleana instead looked at the other worker.

"Where are the younger children?"

She was finally led back. Honestly, she wasn't expecting to see her son, Rose's words that he would be adopted right away had echoed in her ears from the day she gave birth. This room was a more appropriate place for children to sleep, cribs lined up in uniform order, some kids asleep in them. Others were out in a small play area, and Oleana found herself drifting there first.

When she saw a little head of blonde curls, something hit her. It could have been any baby, anyone's child really. There were other blonde children with him but there was a feeling that she knew. 

That was her son.

He was sitting alone at one of the small tables in one of the impossibly tiny chairs, a crayon in his balled up fist as he drew on a blank piece of paper. She walked to him and knelt down beside him, finally making the boy look up, and her heart melted.

He had eyes like perfect purple amethysts, round and a bit too big for his face but only made him look cuter. He had the chubbiest, pinkest cheeks she had ever seen on a baby and a disinterested look that almost made her laugh. He was already too old for the world. He looked right back down to his drawing and kept at it, so she looked over and saw he was drawing... something.

"What are you drawing?" Oleana asked softly.

"A Hatterene," he said, his voice quite firm in the declaration. He looked back up at her. "Who are you?"

"I'm Oleana," she told him. 

"Are you another mommy looking to take a baby?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm just here to visit."

"Oh."

He got back to drawing. It really didn't look much like a Hatterene, but it was cute regardless. "What's your name?" She finally asked, but this time he didn't look up. He just kept scribbling marks of pink.

"Bede," he told her and she smiled to herself. When he finished his drawing he smiled. Not a nice, soft smile like Rose, but a tiny one. It was a little bit crooked and even as a baby, looked a bit more like a smirk then it did a smile. Just like Oleana, just like his mom.

There was no doubt in her mind. That was her baby.


	4. Request

"You want to go on the region tour with Champion Leon?" Rose sounded incredulous at Oleana's request.

She crossed her arms and sighed, thinking about the purple haired boy. He had been great for the league, drawn in bigger crowds than they had seen in years. To Oleana though? He was a pain in the neck. Trying to wrangle him for any press interviews was impossible, and every event she actually managed to get him to agree to he was late for. Once he was so late the breakfast had turned into dinner, but he waltzed in, threw up his Charizard pose, and the press still ate it up.

"It's less of a want and more of a necessity," she told him firmly. "He needs to follow the schedule. Strictly. He's like a Yamper who needs to be leashed. If I'm not there to babysit him, he will wander off into the forests and we won't see him until next season."

Rose raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said he was brilliant."

Oleana shuttered at the reminder that those words had crossed her lips about Leon. "He is. When it comes to pokemon. And when it comes to branding. Otherwise he is just a stupid boy who needs a mother to lead him about."

He chuckled and she couldn't help but smile. There was something about his laugh, even throughout the years, that always made her smile. Especially when he was laughing at what she said. Everyone else called her too abrasive, the men she had dated said she had no sense of humor. They were just too dull to understand. Rose did, however.

"Why don't you just send one of the interns?" He asked her, his eyes not so subtly looking her up and down. A blush quickly rose to her cheeks and she let her arms fall to her side.

"It needs to be me. The interns will just fawn over him like the rest." She finally took a seat at his desk. "Besides... he is the most talented trainer with the dynamax band. I would like to see just how he puts it to use."

"I thought you had perfected that and finished the project years ago," he said and then stood up, walking behind her. His hands rested on her shoulders as he began to rub them softly. It reminded her of that night over ten years ago. She shivered, but didn't pull away.

"Things can always be more perfect," she muttered and then tilted her head to feel more of the pressure that his hands kneaded into her skin. 

"You are too much of a perfectionist sometimes," he murmured. "You need to learn to relax."

"I know how to relax," she admitted, closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of his hands on her. "This is quite relaxing to me."

"Mm?" Rose chuckled again and she smiled to herself, then looked up at him.

He stared back at her with those soft eyes of his. The way he looked made it seem as if he was studying her, looking for any indication that what she was saying wasn't exactly true. He was always searching for the lie, he had been since the day their child was born and he found out she had lied once. 

Once, that was all it took to shatter the trust.

"Are you sure there is no other reason you want to go?" He asked softly and she shook her head. "I saw that a few more stops were added to his itinerary... a school in Ballonlea, an orphanage in Motostoke..."

She didn't flinch at his accusations. Damn him for being so smart though. Of course he could see right through her, even when she wasn't faltering. She never offered up anything other than pure devotion and still he managed to pick into a layer underneath.

She had learned last time that she had visited the orphanage just why he had sent young Bede there instead of anywhere else. It was his orphanage with his people working there. It was two days after the visit that he had come down to the lab and asked her what she was doing there, why she had visited. She should have known he was keeping an eye on her when it came to that damn orphanage.

She had merely told him that Kabu had invited her along, and of course Kabu had agreed with her telling of events. Surprisingly, Rose had dropped it, and Oleana had kept her distance ever since. Bede still wasn't her child, she didn't need to confuse the boy by visiting any more than that anyhow.

She thought that one visit would quash her feelings of wanting to go and see him. But as they lingered, she had to find a new way to go and see if he was in there. A way Rose wouldn't be suspicious of.

That was difficult when Rose was suspicious of everything.

"This is my research, Rose," she said cautiously. "This has nothing to do with... that."

"Are you sure?"

"If I wanted to go to the orphanage, there are far easier ways than forcing myself to travel the entire region with an eighteen year old boy," she reached up and moved his hands from her shoulders. "Now, I believe I need to go and pack."

"I don't believe I gave you permission, Oleana," he said as she turned back to him. This time it was her discerning eyes looking him up and down. 

"I was never really asking for your permission, Rose." A smirk played at her lips. "But of course, I'm sure you already knew that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter and next chapter were going to be one chapter but next chapter was getting long so... figured just a short Rose Oleana chapter would have to do! And again, don't crucify me if you think Rose is ooc, it's just an au. Child Bede coming next!


	5. The Champion

Oleana hadn't been expecting that she would literally have to lead the young champion along the entire time, she thought it was just a joke. Surely no one could be that bad with directions, right?

Well, it turned out it wasn't exactly that he was horrible with directions, and her comparison to Rose calling Leon a Yamper wasn't too far off. He got distracted, easily. Anyone who approached him to say hello or ask questions, he would stop and follow them. He always had a big goofy smile on his face when he did too. Oleana could appreciate that to some extent, at the beginning she thought she was going to fall for his charms and become a Leon fan as well.

But a month of having to herd him like wild Wooloo's set her off that.

"Leon please!" She pinched the bridge of her nose when he got distracted again. They leave leaving Motostoke stadium and he saw a young boy. He was teaching him how to properly Charizard pose. "We have to get to the wild area."

"Oleana chill!" Leon grinned and then looked at the little kid. "Wow! That looks really amazing!"

She may have found it cuter if he wasn't keeping her away from Bede. "The children will be waiting in the wild area for your instruction. We really shouldn't be late."

"Alright, alright." Leon stood properly and dusted off his horrific outfit from ash. His battle with Kabu had been... intense, to say the least. "Do you have the pokeballs?"

She nodded, looking down at the bag she was carrying. Her and Leon had quite a few pokemon they had caught to give to the children, their first pokemon. They would be getting to about the age where they would be able to challenge the league soon. She looked at the one she had set aside in one of the pockets. Hatenna. Hopefully Bede still liked the idea of owning a Hatterne as much as he did when he was a child.

They left the stadium and began to make their way down to the wild area. Every time Leon looked as though he might get distracted, Oleana would take his arm and pull him along. At least when they got to the wild area there would be less people.

Once they got to the steps, Leon tossed his pokeball and let out his Charizard. Oleana was honestly always so shocked how... small it was. When it dynamaxed it seemed like the greatest creature in the world, a true monster that earned the championship with his trainer. But every day Charizard? Hell, her and Leon were both taller than it.

"Do you have a pokemon?" Leon asked, breaking the silence between them. Oleana nodded and he grinned. "Wait, really? How come I've never seen it?"

"People in towns aren't exactly friendly towards him," she said simply. She glanced at him and he looked so excited. "He really smells awful."

"Uh, so?" Leon smirked. "C'mon, let him out! It's the wild area, no one's around yet!"

She looked down and then took out his pokeball, letting her Garbadour out. She wasn't sure what Leon was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this from the way his eyes widened. 

"Gar!" Garbadour said excitedly and shuffled over to Oleana. She couldn't help but break out into a smile.

"Hello handsome boy..." She reached out and rubbed his tummy, him giving a small happy noise in response. "Yes you are such a cutie pie. It's so good to see you again!"

"I was not expecting you to have a Garbadour," Leon said, his voice dragging her back to reality as she glanced at him. His eyes were sparkling. "He's so cool!"

"Gar?" Garbadour walked over to him and Leon grinned, reaching into his bag and getting a treat to feed him. 

Oleana smiled to herself softly and then continued to walk with him. "We should keep going."

"Yeah." Leon nodded as they walked with their pokemon, seeing the kids off in the distance. "You really are full of surprises, you know that?"

She raised an eyebrow. "No. I had never been described as that."

"Well, you are! Having a pokemon like Garbadour, I wasn't expecting it. You seem so elegant and Gabadour... isn't."

"Gar!" Garbadour shot him a look and he laughed.

"Sorry buddy. But it's true! When did you get him?" He asked her just as they approached.

She looked across the group of ten year olds, all rising to their feet to look at Leon. They all had big wide eyes and smiles as the champion approached, and she couldn't help but smile either. "When I was their age," she said. "The first pokemon is always so important to a child... come on, let's get this started."

They got to the group of orphans and Leon smiled brightly. "Hey everyone! So glad you could all make it here today! This is a big day for any young pokemon trainer and I know me and Ms. Oleana are very excited to be a part of it!"

"Grou!" Charizard roared excitedly, which got the children all laughing and applauding. 

Well, all but one. Oleana was keeping her eyes out, a part of her worried that he wouldn't be there, the one reason she had spent the past month leading Leon around. But then she saw the one child in the back of the group, sitting with a look of utter disinterest in his eyes, and she knew it was him.

Bede.

He was wrapped in a big pink coat that was way too big for him, his blonde curls unruly and unkempt. While all the other kids were clambering for Leon's attention, he was just sitting back, tugging at pieces of grass between his fingers. She smiled to herself when she saw him. He really hadn't changed.

"Alright kids, let's line up and you can all get your very first pokemon!" Leon said and all the kids gasped and got in a line. Bede actually seemed excited about that.

Leon handed out pokemon one by one. There were a lot of unique ones that they had managed to capture at young ages so they would be a perfect temperament for the kids. They all looked amazed as they let out the pokemon, gasping in wonder as they saw them. As they got closer to the end of the line it was harder to keep track of all the pokemon and the children as they all began to play, but that was for the orphanage workers to take care of.

Bede was near the back of the line and looked up. Leon smiled. "Hey, what's your name?" He asked and Bede blinked those big violet eyes of his. His cheeks were a lot smaller than when he was a kid, but he still had a distinct pouty look to his face. 

"Bede." He said as Oleana reached into the side pocket of the bag. He kept his eyes fixed on Leon. "When I do the gym challenge, I'm going to beat you. I'm going to be the best champion Galar has ever seen."

Both Leon and Oleana were speechless. For such a little kid he spoke with such confidence, enough to make it almost sound like he could take Leon in a fight right there and then. Leon chuckled, but Bede didn't even react, clearly he wasn't kidding, he seriously thought he was going to be the next great champion of Galar.

"I'm sure you will," Leon said as Oleana handed him the pokeball. "First, you gotta learn how to train so you can get big and strong."

Bede looked down at the pokeball and then opened it. The Hatenna popped out and spun around on one foot, making an excited little sound.

For once, Bede actually showed excitement. His smile was small but he rushed to the pokemon and scooped her up into his arms. "Wow!" He said excitedly. "You're so cool..."

The training began and Oleana sat back and watched with Gabadour. Most of the kids were incredibly distracted, they just wanted to play with their pokemon. A few were still starstruck by the champion and tried to copy his every move, even though their pokemon weren't anything like his Charizard. Bede was the only one in Oleana's eyes showing true potential.

He was determined, focused. He had clearly studied Hatenna because he knew what moves she would had and knew just how to train her. Honestly, Oleana had never seen a kid like him, she had never seen anyone like him.

He was just like her. The only person that she met that reminded her of herself. She could tell he was already determined to pull himself out from the horrible situation he was given, he was ready to be the confident person that would amaze everyone, just like she was at his age. He knew who he was, he knew how amazing he was, and he wasn't going to pretend for anyone that he wasn't.

Over the course of the short training session, her mind began to drift back to Rose. He was a man to be respected, he had built himself up just like Oleana had, just like Bede was going to. But... Bede didn't remind her of him. He didn't smile like Rose, he didn't say kind things just to get what he wanted. He was blunt, and he was rude, and he was nothing like his father.

Something about that made her feel even more proud than she had before.

She went to help Leon pack up as the orphanage workers led the children back to Motostoke. Leon stretched as they finished up, Charizard curled up and half asleep on the ground. He put him away in his pokeball.

"That was so cool," he said with a grin, looking at Oleana. "The kids are awesome."

"Yes." She nodded, and then glanced at him with a bit of a smirk as she remembered Bede. "One of them is going to dethrone you as champion, apparently."

"Oh yeah, that kid was really something." He snorted. "You seemed to like him."

"He reminds me of myself when I was his age," she admitted. "I wasn't an orphan, but... I had my own issues to overcome." She paused and then shook her head. Why was she telling any of that to Leon? "He's determined. I'm sure he will pull himself up in this world." She stood up and he took the pokemon bag from her.

"Wish he didn't have to," Leon said and then glanced at her. "Why don't you endorse him for the gym challenge when he comes of age?"

"I'm a researcher," she said, "I don't have any endorsements to give him."

He nodded. "Well... I would. But I got a younger brother and kid from my hometown around his age that I have to endorse. Maybe Mr. Rose will? It is his orphanage."

Her first reaction was that he wouldn't. There was no way that Rose would want anything to do with his son, he was the one that made Oleana give him up in the first place, the one that all but scolded her when she went to go and visit him. The last thing Rose was interested in was seeing an orphan, let alone his own son who he had with his eighteen year old employee and gave up at birth.

But then Oleana remembered Bede, she remembered the sheer determination on his face. He was only ten years old. When she was ten no one would fight for her, no one would try and make her life better so she had to do that herself. Was it really right to subject Bede to the same thing when she could fight for him?

"Will you be alright if I send another employee to come and accompany you on the rest of your region tour?" Oleana asked Leon out of the blue, who paused. "I have business to attend to at Rose tower."

"Sure! Yeah no worries, I don't even need someone with me if it's too much hassle," he said with confidence, even though she knew very well that he did need someone. 

But, as clueless as he was, maybe Leon wasn't as bad as she had initially thought. Seeing the way he was with those children had really made her think differently about him, respect him in a far greater way than she would have had she not gone with him.

Although, she knew that at the end of the day, she was very excited to see Bede beat him. She smirked to herself as she went to call for a flying taxi.


End file.
